Final answer:
Attitudes towards premarital sex have liberalized over time, with significant differences among countries and evidence of more permissive views in younger generations. The U.S. remains more conservative than many other industrialized nations, yet the youth and college-aged individuals show more relaxed attitudes, alongside a strong inclination towards future monogamy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Survey research indicates that public attitudes towards premarital sex have become significantly more permissive over the recent generations. The data shows that among Western countries, there is a broad spectrum of opinions on premarital sex, ranging from high acceptance in Sweden, where 89 percent see nothing wrong with it, to less acceptance in places like Ireland, where only 42 percent hold a similar view. In the United States, although 29 percent of U.S. respondents believe premarital sex is always wrong according to a survey by Widmer, Treas, and Newcomb (1998), this is higher than the 24-country average of 17 percent, suggesting that attitudes are more conservative compared to some other industrialized nations. On the other hand, the youth seem to exhibit a more relaxed stance on sexual matters, with a significant number agreeing that nonmarital childbearing is acceptable or that waiting for marriage before engaging in sex is not realistic. Still, a high percentage of college students express the desire for monogamous relationships in the future.